Cutthroat Island Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The Course Has Been Set. There Is No Turning Back. Prepare Your Weapons. Summon Your Courage. Discover the Adventure of a Lifetime!
Morgan Adams (Geena Davis) and her slave, William Shaw (Matthew Modine), are on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by her murderous uncle, Dawg (Frank Langella). Her crew is sceptical of her leadership abilities, so she must complete her quest before they mutiny against her. This is made yet more difficult by the efforts of the British crown to end her piratical raids.
| Geena Davis | Morgan Adams |
| Matthew Modine | William Shaw |
| Frank Langella | Dawg Brown |
| Maury Chaykin | John Reed |
| Patrick Malahide | Govenor Ainslee |
| Stan Shaw | Glasspoole |
| Rex Linn | Mr. Blair |
| Paul Dillon | Snelgrave, Reaper's 1st Mate |
| Christopher Masterson | Bowen |
| Jimmie F. Skaggs | Tom Scully |
| Harris Yulin | Black Harry |
| Carl Chase | Bishop |
| Peter Geeves | Fiddler pirate |
| Angus Wright | Capt. Trotter |
| Ken Bones | Toussant |
| Renny Harlin |
5.10 out of 10 (5894 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Excellent Movie!!!
posted on 15 Aug 2009SPOILERS AHEAD MAITEY!! Cutthroat Island is one of my favorite movies. Now, I am no movie expert, but I have seen more of my share of movies. Geena Davis might not have been the best choice for Morgan, but really she does make a pretty cool pirate! I wouldn't mind hanging out with her, as long as I stayed on her good side. Cutthroat Island may not be the best action flick, but in it's day (1995) it was a good choice. It has some of the BEST real explosions found in any movie (not those CGI explosions)!! Especially near the end. WOW!! Can that one be topped? Also, the soundtrack is definitely AWESOME!! John Debney is a very talented composer and his work is like no other. I challenge anyone to get the soundtrack Cd and listen to it alone. I have done it many times, and I didn't really care for that type of music until seeing this flick. Thank you Renny Harlan for bringing this story to the big screen. Job well done!
Ship-shape action.
posted on 13 Aug 2009See this movie. When you know the two ships are going to close at the end and do battle, you know you're in for a heavy-duty duel! Geena Davis, Matt Modine, and Frank Langella make you want to be pirates. They do most of their own stunts! I want to be, need to be, Modine swinging from mast to mast. Frank Langella is almost as good as Ricardo Montalban in "Star Trek II" when he says "Fire!" The music is stirring and the main theme will have you humming after the film is over. If you liked this flick, check out the 1989 version of "Treasure Island" starring Chuck Heston as Long John.
35 swashbuckling fans say "Forget it!"
posted on 31 Jul 2009As a female fencing coach, I am one of the biggest swashbuckling movie fans anywhere. I watched this movie in a room full of 35 other fencers, many of whom love to dress up as pirates and do sword demonstrations at history fairs. These are people who have seen every swashbuckler ever made, and relish even mediocre fantasy and sword movies just for the action.And we all hated Cutthroat Island, if you can say "hated" when we were laughing so hard we thought our sides would burst. To top off the nonexistent script and lifeless acting, the film appears to have been directed and edited by untrained ten year olds.This one was given the real MST3K treatment at our annual fencers' Xmas party, and none of us are snobby critics. We love a good pirate story well told. This wasn't it.
Just What It Should Be
posted on 28 Jul 2009It ain't "Citizen Kane," it may not even be the best pirate movie ever made, but "Cutthroat Island" sets a goal and reaches it. I think Roger Ebert summed it up best when he said this movie was everything a movie called "Cutthroat Island" should be. It's a big, dumb, fun movie, and I can't understand why it wasn't a hit. After all, this was the year "Batman Forever" (which I also enjoyed, BTW) came out and was a smash -- what intellectual edge did Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey have over Geena Davis and Matthew Modine?The best way to see this movie is with a letterbox video on the widest possible screen and the best stereo system you can get your hands on. I wish I'd been able to see this movie in the theatres instead of discovering it on home video, but, well...Who knows? With any luck, "Cutthroat Island" will become a cult classic, an underappreciated gem of a movie you can compare to films like "The Mask of Zorro." One day, "Cutthroat," you will get the praise you deserve.
really good pirate action movie
posted on 16 Jun 2009Some complained about lack of depth, realism etc. - well, what do you expect? This is a pirate action movie, and this genre seldom deals with deep relationship troubles or philosophical questions. And that's ok - that's what other movie types are for. I like this movie. Its a pirate action movie, and a good one at that. Excellent carribean motives, /real/ ships under sail, more sword fights, traps and explosions the real life pirates ever saw, costumes from sketches rather than real life, and exactly the story one expects from this genre. Plus some nice punchlines and minor story twists, and a bit too much slow motion.Honestly, what do you expect from this genre? This one doesn't pretend to be anything else, and is really good at being that: a pirate action movie.
Great Action but Poor Acting
posted on 06 May 2009The film was entertaining and contained some GREAT shots and battle scenes with EXCELLENT music, however I think that the bad acting and lack of character development really hurt it. The reason that this film did so poorly in the theaters (grossed 11 mil. and cost 100 mil.) can be seen by watching the exceptionally horrible theatrical and teaser trailers featured on the DVD. Had this movie been properly advertised I'm sure it would have broken the 100 million marker. I don't think that you should pass up on seeing the movie just because of the acting. I suggest renting the film for the excellent cinematography and musical score ard seeing if that is enough to pursuade you to purchase the film, but if you really like adventure films with lots of amazing action and stunts then this is the film for you.
Captain Blood!
posted on 02 May 2009I feel the quality of the film is well done. The sound, the picture, the story-line and the length (2 hrs 2 mins).The characters are well written as well. Geena Davis as Morgan Adams, she plays that part well, I only have one thing I don't like and I'll say that later.Matthew Modine as William Shaw, he reminds me of Errol Flynn in Captain Blood (one of the best pirate movies made), and even tho he doesn't really play a pirate his role as a thief is well played.I feel that Maury Chaykin's role could have been more, it seemed that there may have been parts that could have been written in gaps from him to the other characters.Rex Linn as Mr. Blair (the quartermaster) plays respect for his Captain and also loyalty excellent. There aren't many roles where he plays the 'good guy' so to say, I mean he is a pirate but still....but, he played his part well.Frank Langella, is the cliched bad guy, but, in his cliched character there is an aspect that he has that most of his counterparts do not and that is compassion - tho small it is, it is there.And the rest of the cast is well put as well.The only negative thing, and I see this a lot in movies, mainly American, is the language barrier. If those who had an 'american' accent were from 'america' why do they have an 'american' accent? Back then being the 1600s their accents would be from their mother/father country and not from America.That is the only minus. Well, I did feel it could have been a bit longer, and had a R rating, not saying they should have had nudity, but, the violence could have been more, so to say.Overall, I give this a 9/10. I like Pirate movies, I haven't seen one I haven't liked, tho I am sure there is one out there. But, it doesn't beat out the best Pirate movie ever made which is Captain Blood!
Hang the critics!
posted on 23 Apr 2009What determines a movie's quality? It's ticket sales? What the critics say? How many Academy Awards it receives? Well, most people think ALL of the above is true, but, in fact, NONE of it is true, as is evidenced by this film. It's a pirate movie, plain and simple. A pirate movie is supposed to be unrealistic, campy fun. After all, Errol Flynn is classic, and he portrays PIRATES as romantic heroes--so, first off, if you want realism, consider the genre. Okay, now into the film. As a moviegoer, film student and someone with a brain, I can safely say that this is a fine film! To break it down: The score is absolutely fantastic, and I know this will sound sacreligious to some, but on par with Star Wars. Lust listen to the CD sometime. The film is beautifully photographed, the costumes are exquisite, the sets marvelous to behold, and believe it or not it's probably the most accurate pirate movie technically speaking (no rapiers here, but brutal, no-skill cutlass brawling, pirate terminology, dress, and even the way they open rum bottles!). But, if it's so good, why did it bomb? Unfortunately, there is one thing wrong with this movie--it's own production values. With the actors surrounded by such lavish sets and special effects, you feel you ARE IN the Caribbean, and so you want to it be realistic, but, as I said, it's a pirate movie, and stays campy. Now, this uneasy feeling you have when watching it gets compounded by the slightest slip-up, and, like any movie, there are many. However, if you can just keep in mind that it's supposed to be fun, free-spirited adventure, you'll have a great time! But I must, in all honesty, point out some really "bad" parts of the film: First, the monkey and the cabin boy are way too "Disneyesque", and in fact never contribute to the plot, but rather than try to look cute, and come off as annoying (heck, the monkey in Raiders of the Lost Ark did more than most villains ever do). There are a few "no brainers" that subtly but powerfully make you want to dislike the movie (like when they leave the cliffs so as not to be seen and thus not let Morgan be found but leave the ropes there anyway, or when they all hide in a bush ten feet away from a guy and aren't seen). But what it all comes down to is that this was still an enjoyable film, and would have done very well if the critics didn't program people into believing it was bad to begin with. This film is proof that critics have finally succeeded in deluding peoples' minds so much that they have no opinion of their own, and simply go with the popular concensus (usually made from heresay more than experience). The pirate genre is relatively new to this generation, so people didn't know what to expect, and so, rather than giving the film a fair shake, the critics assaulted it (I guess they had to meet their quota of negativity and dirt, and Cutthroat was their scapegoat). Well, you know, Disney's Fantsia flopped when it came out to, no studio wanted Forrest Gump, and Star Wars was made almost on an accident, so, who is to say what is quality and what isn't? I say if you enjoy the movie (as I did) just forget the critics and have a good time. This film is fun!
There is no explanation as to why this film failed- All the Elements for greatness are present in this movie
posted on 11 Apr 2009I have always been a sucker for films with a 1700's theme, and this one was no exception.I believe this to be a GREAT film. Infact it baffles me that this film was a box office flop.....and for all those who go on and on about how no one will ever compare to Erol Flynn is this reason this movie flopped. I need to say this to you ...most of the movie goers nowdays weren't even alive yet when Erol Flynn was making films-Erol Flynn had nothing to do with the failure of Cutthroat Island at the box office. In fact I am 31 years old and I cannot name a single movie of Erol Flynns that I have seen, and I'd be willing to bet that the majority of todays college age studentS have never even heard of Erol Flynn!!The truth is -I dont know why this moview failed. It has all the right elements in place. This film had a Fantastic music score, the acting really wasn't all that bad, the specail effects were wonderful, it had a very good story(even better than the classic "Treasure Island"),The photoghraphy in this film is beautiful, Gina Davis had never looked sexier than she did in this film, the custumes are sharp, creative and the swords were very original, this film has the best Ocean Battleship scene ever cought on film-Its an amazing scene, This film has plenty of humor, action & Adventure. and most of all this IS a very FUN movie to watch again and again. I really like this movie!!!!There is no explanation as to why this film failed- All the Elements for greatness are present in this movie. Get your Popcorn out-I'm giving this film 5 out of 5 stars- A perfect Film!
Underrated Pirate Movie
posted on 24 Mar 2009I really do not understand why this movie bombed so badly at the box office at the time (1995-96). It's spectacular,never allows the viewer to take a breath and is excitement all the way."Cutthroat Island" was criticized for being stereotypical and cliched, but what do you expect from a PIRATE movie ? Renny Harlin made this movie clearly having the old swashbuckling classics of the past in mind. Its a boy's dream which unfolds gloriously on the big screen. Allright, Geena Davis may not be a strong actress like Sigourney Weaver or Linda Hamilton,but she shows some real passion for the genre.She also did a lot of her own stunts as you can clearly observe throughout the movie.Frank Langella as the evil Captain Dawg Brown is really one of the best sadistic villains ever. He`s so good,you almost root for him to win the race for the treasure.The sets are amazing and incredibly detailed, you won't believe the work they put into the ships,costumes and the various assets. John Debney (now famous for "Passion of the Christ") delivers a loud and rousing score, which really pumps you up for the action sequences.If you look at Disneys "Pirates of the Carribean" closely,you will see a lot of scenes which look strangely alike to Harlin's movie.Not only because they're the same genre, but many action sequences are staged and executed in almost the same way and style as in "Cutthroat".Sometimes I felt like having some sort of deja vu. While Disneys Pirate movie suffers from an overuse of digital FX,Renny Harlin's movie uses much more practical effects, which look more credible than the newer movie. Well, I like both movies,but Renny's film is simply more effective as an action movie, while the Johnny Depp- Movie drags a lot during the middle part. I invite you to re-discover this 9-year old gem,and if you want old-fashioned adventure spiced with massive explosions,this is the flick for you.
Pirate movie is an appealing effort, but has action to spare
posted on 12 Mar 2009Cutthroat Island - Strapping pirate captain Geena Davis joins forces with scoundrel Matthew Modine to avenge her father's death and find the other halves of a treasure map from her miserly uncle (Robert Langella). It took four writers for story and two for screenplay to construct this paper-thin plot with underwritten characters, but Renny Harlin throws in everything he can think of for good measure from large-scale stunts in slow motion to nonstop special effects and then some. Davis and Modine have an appealing energy, while this sprawling, slickly made extravaganza gets the job done, but otherwise, doesn't quite gel to be grand entertainment. Wow, there must be high-quality dentistry aboard the pirates' ships! ** ½ (out of ****)
A Woman Pirate?
posted on 30 Dec 2008I am a native Californian, but I have been living in Norway since 1996. Therefore, since only the box office blockbusters seem to make it over here, I did not have a chance to see this in the theater. Somehow, I seemed to have missed it when it came out in California. Nonetheless, I have seen it here on TV a couple times. The first time I saw it was just after I had seen "The Pirates of the Caribbean" (POTC) and I thought it was made afterwards in an effort to be as good or better than POTC. Then I came to IMDb and I was surprised to find that it was actually done so many years ago and I hadn't known about it. I do not think it was better than POTC, but it is certainly every bit as good, and Geena Davis does an excellent job of portraying what Anne Bonny must have been like as a pirate. If you are a Geena Davis fan, I would say that this is a MUST SEE. I personally thought she did a much, much better job on this movie than she did as the lame-brained "Larry" in Fletch or the saccharine-sweet mommy in the Stewart Little movies.I have noticed that most of the people posting on the message board about Geena Davis have said that they think the role should have gone to someone else (a male) because 1) she is a woman, 2) she was the ship's captain, and 3) she had pearly white teeth.Being a woman pirate IS historical, but most people do not know about it. There WAS a general rule that there were to be no women aboard because it was considered bad luck and it was often considered such a grievous sin that any man disobeying the rule would be immediately put to death. Nonetheless, there WERE a few women pirates who were smuggled aboard dressed in men's clothing. However, they had to know how to pull it off by fighting like a man. Two women of notoriety were Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who were both smuggled aboard by the captain himself, "Calico" Jack Rackham. You can find biographies about all three of these pirates (among others) at several websites under the keyword "pirates".So far as Geena Davis not being convincing because "she was a woman playing a pirate -- a Captain at that", in the "Trivia for Cutthroat Island", IMDb tell us the following: "The flag flown by Morgan Adams was in reality the flag flown by "Calico" Jack Rackham, one of the only Caribbean Pirates to have women on his crew; Anne Bonny and Mary Read. He later turned his ship over to the two women." With that in mind, wouldn't it be more than safe to assume that this must have been the catalyst in writing this movie, and therefore, the movie would most likely have been written as a fantasy of what it would be like to have a woman pirate as the ship's captain?The "pearly white teeth" thing is also believable because, after all, women pirates were few and far between, and when they were aboard, it was in their teenaged years and because they were smuggled on in men's clothing and they were bound to be caught soon, I would imagine that they would have had pearly white teeth. By the way, where did the idea come from that all pirates had rotten teeth?I wonder if the reason that this movie did not make it in the box office is because of the woman pirate concept. If that is the case, why don't the critics bother to get out their history books or surf the web to find out if there WERE any women pirates in the annals of history?I wonder if they would have begun the movie with a written history of women pirates, and if they would have stated that the flag that Geena Davis flew in the movie was the authentic flag that was flown by the woman pirate, Anne Bonny, if that would have added creditability to the movie--especially if it were read by some famous celebrity. On the other hand, the name of the movie is everything, so I wonder if the name "Cutthroat Island" was to its demise. Perhaps if this movie were called "Pirates of the Caribbean" and backed by Disney Studios, it would have been a smash hit. Too bad it wasn't.
Excellent Period-Style Actioneer With Lavish Sets, Dashing Swordfights And A Devil Of A Soundtrack. Great Fun.
posted on 28 Dec 2008This 1995 16th century period-style pirate actioneer is a lot of fun. Geena Davis ("The Long Kiss Goodnight," "Stuart Little") is perfect as the dashing, and hunted, female pirate Morgan Adams. She pulled the role off very well, with all the spunk and fire neccessary for her character. Makes me want her as a companion. Matthew Modine ("Full Metal Jacket") fares equally well as her companion William Shaw. Frank Langella (1978's "Dracula") is terrifically venomous as her evil pirate uncle Dawg. Shame that it didn't do well at the box-office, considering the budget (over $60 million). A sequel (which the ending promised) should have been made. Renny Harlin ("Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger," "The Long Kiss Goodnight") fares a lot better with this film than he did with "Die Hard 2." Morgan's scenes with Bowen should have been expanded. It was clear that she loved him as her own son, though her exciting life wouldn't have permitted her the luxury of children. It would have been nice to see more of the two of them together. Consistent with the period-style setting, there is no sexuality or nudity (an "R" rating would have been needed for that; I'm no prude, but unless the storyline calls for it, nudity isn't neccessary in a movie; "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and the equally well-made [but, like this film, maligned by stupid critics] "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" being cases in point where nudity was needed; please see my reviews on both films). Rated PG for action-violence.
Not worth it's awful reputation but certainly not really worth watching
posted on 15 Dec 2008When her father is killed by pirate Dawg Brown, Morgan Adams takes up his ship and crew and continues his hunt for treasure – the map for which is on several parchments. Enlisting slave William Shaw to help her, they set out to find the treasure and avoid Brown.With Pirates of the Caribbean getting everyone's gander up for pirate movies all of a sudden I decided to review this film, having seen it first in the cinema and being unimpressed. On TV the feeling is the same. The plot is a treasure hunt, but it never really sets the pulses racing or feels like it is a really fun romp or such. Instead the story telling is rather workmanlike without spark or life.What exists in it's place is a lot of noise and energy – but it is energy that is misdirected and misplaced in this case. The action scenes look very expensive (when a lavish harbour town is destroyed you can see the budget) but the also lack excitement or tension. Instead they are hollow spectacles. I'm not a big fan of Harlin's work. Cliffhanger was OK but Die Hard 2 was the weakest of the series. Here he can't seem to find the excitement in his action – maybe because some much effort was on the design of effects shots than on reasons for the action.Davis is OK in the lead role but it is easy to think of a couple of actresses that might have been more convincing playing it tough. Modine has a few lines that suggest his character will be better than he actually is.
Despite a few witty moments of banter early on he just becomes a bland character. Langella is OK but only because he has a reasonable screen presence rather than having a great character.Overall this is dull and not very engaging at all. The action is hollow and the plot/characters have nothing to really grip. Not worth it's awful reputation but certainly not really worth watching.
Entertaining Fantasy
posted on 22 Nov 2008I was surprised by the quality of the film. Ridiculous plot, but this is a fantasy. Acting is mediocre but entertaining. Photography (Cinematography?) is outstanding. The visual effects are well done & fairly believable. Audio tracks are superb. The cannon fire is intense, the sword clashing crystal clear, explosions rock you if you have a decent stereo. Watched this DVD twice in 2 days. Just for the sound effects the second time. If you're looking for Oscar quality acting - wrong movie! If you're looking for entertaining fantasy with great photography and superb sound effects - here it is.
No where near as bad as I thought...
posted on 21 Nov 2008Okay, so the plot has big holes, the acting is a little cardboard and it doesn't hold a candle to the classic pirate films, but it's still fairly good fun, well intentioned and has some pretty decent action sequences (but then would we expect anything else from Harlin?).Davis does her stock action characterisation, Modine acts well out of type and the supporting crew of gnarly pirates are a bit of a laugh too.
Not as bad as critics claim
posted on 31 Oct 2008I rented Cutthroat Island recently because I haven't seen it since it was first released...I could barely remember anything about it, but I did seem to remember that I liked it. I know that it flopped critically and financially, so I was curious to see if I would still like it or not.This movie is not as horrible as the critics make it out to be. In fact, it's a fine action movie. It looks absolutely gorgeous...the sets (especially the ships) are just great. I was surprised at the number of stunts that lead actors Geena Davis and Matthew Modine did themselves, such as when Davis falls out of a window, rolls, and lands on a moving carriage.
There's another scene where Davis falls from a balcony onto a table, and the camera stays on her face the entire time.The film is not without faults, though. Geena Davis fails to deliver her lines convincingly on several occasions. Also, there are a handful of embarrassingly bad one-liners sprinkled throughout the film, including the line spoken by Davis right before she vanquishes the bad guy once and for all (I'll leave the details of that scene as a surprise). Another has the villain standing in the middle of a large battle screaming, "I love this! I love this!" Such scenes are painful to watch. The soundtrack for this movie is incredible...probably the best thing about the film. In fact, I was just at http://www.filmtracks.com and noticed that it is one of their top-ten sellers.At any rate, this is a fun action movie...a great one to show the kids. It doesn't have any pretentions of being anything more than a Hollywood pirate movie--in fact, it seems to revel in its "Hollywoodness", which I think is why it was misinterpreted by so many critics.
The Captain is a...lady?
posted on 28 Oct 2008Director Renny Harlin always seems to give you something to talk about. CUTTHROAT ISLAND is loud and dumb, and in spite of ridiculous dialogue there is almost non-stop action for over two hours. Morgan Adams(Geena Davis)is the pronounced captain of a pirate ship sailing the Caribbean in the mid 1660s. Adams and her motley crew are hunting for the treasure of millions of pounds of gold buried on Cutthroat Island. The problem is that she has only a third of the treasure map. Another third of the map is held by her Uncle Dawg Brown(Frank Langella)who would rather fight or even kill his niece for sole possession of the riches. William Shaw(Matthew Modine)is an odd sort of swashbuckler that reinforces the winsome female pirate in her search for the other third of the map as well as the fog swallowed Cutthroat Island.It is evident Davis worked hard in this stunt filled flick. However there seems to be no chemistry between the pairing of Davis with Modine. Modine was given the job when Michael Douglas bowed out due to Davis' beefier role. Langella seems at times trying for a laugh than be the menacing villain he is expected to be. Davis at most times is 99% eye candy. There is good support acting from: Stan Shaw, Rex Linn and Angus Wright. The movie offers some breathtaking visuals; the best being the explosion of Dawg Brown's ship. I also liked the brief scene of a crew member getting his foot tangled in the anchor chain and going overboard. The London Symphony Orchestra provides a rousing score; but all of the energetic action could not save this movie...it bankrupted Carolco Pictures.
Just a good movie to relax to.
posted on 16 Oct 2008Cutthroat Island is a movie that you can just sit back, relax and watch it with a big goofy grin on your face. Sure it tanked at the box office, but don't disregard it totally. It's entertaining as hell. Geena Davis is rather engaging as a female pirate and Frank Langella seemed to be enjoying himself. Most people will say that this movie can't hold a candle to the pirate films of Errol Flynn, and they're right. But for a rock em sock em pirate adventure with more explosions than the high seas ever saw, watch Cutthroat Island.
Good movie
posted on 27 Aug 2009Jonny Boy, kiss my ass. This movie wasn't a masterpiece, but it wasn't supposed to be. It's just a fun action movie. I think the real problem you have with this movie is seeing a woman is in the lead role, and the male is in the subserviant position for once. God forbid a WOMAN use a sword and lead males. I will never understand why this movie did so bad. I went to see it with my whole family at christmas time, and its still a fond memory of mine.